LOOKING FOR WORK
“Now there, don’t you worry one mite,” said the woman who had come
to the door. “I know jest how you feel. Come right in. We haven’t
much room, but there’s only my husband, and he can sleep on the floor
to-night. I’ll take care of you until you can find some place to stay.
Bring the children in. Well, if there isn’t a little fellow who’s jest
the image of my little Eddie that died,” and the good woman clasped
James in her arms and hugged him tightly.
“I’m afraid we’ll be too much trouble for you,” spoke Larry, seeing
that his mother was too overcome to talk.
“Not a bit of it,” was the hearty reply. “Come right along. I was jest
gittin’ supper, an’ there’s plenty for all of you. Come in!”
Confused and alarmed at the sudden news, and hardly knowing what she
did, Mrs. Dexter entered the rooms where she had expected to find her
sister. She was almost stunned by the many troubles coming all at once,
and was glad enough to find any sort of temporary shelter.
“I’m Mrs. Jackson,” the woman went on. “We’re a little upset, but I
know you won’t mind that.”
“No indeed,” replied Mrs. Dexter. “We are only too glad to come in.”
The apartment, which consisted of four small rooms, was in considerable
confusion. Chairs and tables stood in all sorts of positions, and there
were two beds up.
“We’ll manage somehow,” said Mrs. Jackson. “My goodness! The potatoes
are burning!” and she ran to the kitchen, where supper was cooking.
While she was busy over the meal her husband came in, and, though he
was much surprised to see so many strangers in the house, he quickly
welcomed them when his wife explained the circumstances. Supper was
soon ready, and the travelers, except Mrs. Dexter, ate with good
appetites. Then, after she had told something of her troubles it was
decided that the two younger children should sleep in a bed with their
mother. Lucy shared Mrs. Jackson’s room, and Larry and Mr. Jackson had
beds made up on the floor in the parlor.
“We’ll pretend we’re camping out,” said Mr. Jackson. “Did you ever
camp, Larry?”
“Sometimes, with the boys in Campton,” was the reply. “But we never
stayed out all night.”
“I have when I was a young man,” said Mr. Jackson. “I used to be quite
fond of hunting.”
Larry was tired enough to fall off to sleep at once, but, for a time,
the many unusual noises bothered him. There was an elevated railroad
not far off, and the whistle of the trains, the buzz and hum of the
motors, kept him awake. Then, too, the streets were full of excitement,
boys shouting and men calling, for it was a warm night, and many stayed
out until late.
At length, however, the country boy fell asleep, and dreamed that he
was engineer on a ferryboat which collided with an elevated train, and
the whole affair smashed into a balloon and came shooting earthward,
landing with a thump, which so startled Larry that he awoke with a
spring that would have rolled him out of bed had he not been sleeping
on the floor.
It was just getting daylight, and Larry at first could not recall where
he was. Then he sat up, and his movement awakened Mr. Jackson.
“Is it time to get up?” asked the latter.
“I--I don’t know,” said Larry.
Mr. Jackson reached under his pillow, drew out his watch, and looked at
the time.
“Guess I’d better be stirring if I want to get to work to-day,” he
remarked. Then he began to dress and Larry did likewise. Mrs. Jackson
was already up, and breakfast was soon served.
“Make yourselves at home,” was Mr. Jackson’s remark, as he left the
house to go to the office where he was employed.
Mrs. Dexter insisted on helping Mrs. Jackson with the housework, and,
while the two women were engaged Mary and James went down to the street
to see what, to them, were many wonderful sights. Lucy, whose spine
hurt her very much because of the long journey, remained in bed, and
Larry made himself useful by going to the store for Mrs. Jackson, after
receiving many cautions from his mother not to get lost in New York.
Mrs. Dexter was worrying over what she should do. She wanted to find
her sister, but she realized that if Mr. Ralston was dead his widow
would not be in a position to give even temporary shelter to Mrs.
Dexter and her family. She knew her sister must have written to her,
but the letter had probably reached Campton after Mrs. Dexter had left.
“Why don’t you take a few rooms in this house?” suggested Mrs.
Jackson. “There are some to be had cheap on the floor above, and it’s
a respectable place. Then you will have time to hunt up your sister.
Maybe the janitor knows where she moved to.”
“I believe I will do that,” said the widow. She knew what little money
she had would not last long and she wanted to make a home for her
children where they could stay while she went out to work.
When Larry returned Mrs. Dexter talked the matter over with him, for
she had come to depend on her son very much of late. The matter was
decided by their engaging four rooms on the floor above. They were
unfurnished except for an attractive gas range on which cooking could
be done.
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know how to work it,” said Mrs. Dexter.
“I know,” said Larry. “Mrs. Jackson showed me this morning.”
From a secondhand store some beds, a table, and a few chairs were
purchased, and thus, on a very modest scale, compared with their former
home, the Dexters began housekeeping in New York.
They ate supper in their new rooms that night. The younger children
were delighted, but Mrs. Dexter could not but feel that it was a poor
home compared to the one she had been compelled to leave. Larry saw
what was troubling his mother.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll soon be working and we will have a better
place.”
“I wish I was strong enough to work,” said Lucy in a low tone, her eyes
filling with tears as she thought of her helplessness.
“Don’t you wish anything of the kind!” exclaimed Larry. “I’m going to
work for all of us.”
He made up his mind to start out the first thing in the morning and
hunt for a job. He carried this plan out. After a simple breakfast
which was added to by some nice potatoes and meat which Mrs. Jackson
sent up, Larry hurried off.
“Be very careful,” cautioned his mother. “Don’t let anyone steal your
pocketbook.”
Larry thought a thief would not make a very good haul, as he only had
twenty-five cents in it, but he did not say so to his mother.
The boy did not know where to start to look for work. He had had no
experience except on a farm, and there is not much call for that sort
of labor in the city. Still he was strong, quick, and willing, and,
though he didn’t know it, those qualities go a great way in any kind of
work.
Larry started out from the apartment house, and walked slowly. He had
the address of his new home written down, in case he got lost, but he
determined to walk slowly, note the direction of the streets, and so
acquaint himself with the “lay-out” of the big city.
He had two plans in mind. One was to go along the streets looking for a
sign “Boy Wanted.” The other was to look at the advertisements in the
newspapers. He resolved to try both.
Purchasing one of the big New York daily newspapers, which bore on
the front page the name _The Leader_, Larry turned to the page where
the dealer who sold it to him had said he would find plenty of want
advertisements. There were a number of boys wanted, from those to run
errands to the variety who were expected to begin in a wholesale house
at a small salary and work their way up. In nearly every one were the
words “experience necessary.”
Now Larry had had no experience, and he felt that it would be useless
to try the places where that qualification was required. He marked
several of the advertisements that he thought might provide an opening
for him, and asked the first policeman he met how to get to the
different addresses.
The bluecoat was a friendly one, who had boys of his own at home, and
he kindly explained to Larry just how to get to the big wholesale and
retail places that needed lads.
But luck seemed to be against Larry that day. At every place he went he
was told that he was just too late.
“You’ll have to get up earlier in the morning if you want to get a
job,” said one man where he inquired. “There were ten boys here before
breakfast after this place. This is a city where you can’t go to sleep
for very long.”
Larry was beginning to think so. He had tried a number of places that
advertised, without success, when he saw a sign hanging out in front of
a shoe store. It informed those who cared to know that a boy was needed.
Larry made an application. Timidly he asked the proprietor of the store
for work.
“I hired a boy this morning about seven o’clock,” was the reply.
“Your sign is out yet,” spoke Larry.
“I forgot to bring it in,” said the man.
He did not seem to think it minded that he had caused disappointment
to one lad, and might to others. Larry walked from the place much
discouraged.